


Angel of Mine

by butjaehyunie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Adorable, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Animal Shelter, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Cute, Fluff, Jeno is just a shy bean, M/M, Mentioned Seo Youngho | Johnny, Ridiculous pick up lines for which I'm sorry, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, jaemin is whipped, plant trees save the planet, volunteering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-28 04:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19804762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butjaehyunie/pseuds/butjaehyunie
Summary: Jeno’s barista job was pretty uneventful— it paid well and his manager, Ten, was actually quite nice to him. Either way, nothing out of the ordinary ever happened, and Jeno was fine with that, until—“Aside from being gorgeous, what do you do for a living?”Until a certain Na Jaemin came barging into his life and turned everything upside down.





	Angel of Mine

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This fic has been my baby for the past half year and I hope you have as much fun reading as I had writing it! I apologise for the very cringe-worthy and ridiculous pick up lines ahead, though judging by the summary, I guess you know what you're in for... Thank you so much to my friend for beta-ing and being there every step of the way for me. I can't believe this big baby got to over eight thousand words, but here we are!  
> Please enjoy and let's talk later!! xx

"Do you believe in love at first sight or should I buy another coffee?"

Just as Jeno handed the order to his current customer, he was left speechless. Eyes wide, he looked up at the stranger's face and it took everything in him to not let the gasp in his throat escape. The boy in front of him was very handsome but still had soft features, his eyes a pretty dark brown. Somehow, Jeno could feel his heart beating faster than usual. The cute boy accepted his coffee while staring intently at him and Jeno could feel a blush creeping on his face.

"Huh?" was the only sound Jeno managed to utter, his mind completely blank.  
The boy chuckled and placed his elbows on the counter, leaning over it, ignoring the line full of obviously irritated customers craving their daily dose of caffeine behind him.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" the boy repeated himself. "If not I can always go back to the end of the line and order something else," he concluded while winking.  
By now Jeno's mouth was hanging wide open, his face as red as a tomato, all basic human functions long forgotten.

 _'I thought I had seen every type of customer by now, but apparently not'_ , Jeno thought, as he willed the blush on his cheeks to go away, wracking his brain for something to say. But what do you say to that? So Jeno just said nothing and gave the boy a small, awkward nod, while turning to the next customer, who was already blurting out their preference.

—

If Jeno thought that would be his first and last time seeing the handsome stranger, boy, was he wrong. He'd just started his morning shift the next day and finished making a Frappuccino for one of their regular customers. Jeno then turned around to greet the next customer, only to freeze.

Leaning against the counter, clad in a light shirt and a black leather jacket that fit him so well it must have been illegal, stood the same guy from yesterday that had made Jeno's cheeks flush bright red. It seemed like today, he didn't come unprepared either…

"There must be something wrong with my eyes, I can't take them off of you," the young man said, his soft though deep voice shackling Jeno's feet to the ground where he was standing. The young man's eyes seemed to bore into Jeno's own and Jeno could feel goosebumps rising on his arms, _'Wait that's not right, I'm wearing my warmest sweater today'_. Jeno almost forgot the simple act of breathing and exhaled deeply when he realized he was supposed to be working and asking for the stranger’s order.

"E-excuse me," Jeno cleared his throat, and averted his eyes slightly, flustered by the intense gaze directed at him.  
"W-what would you like?" He turned his body halfway and gestured with his hand to the menu hung up above the counter.

—

“Aside from being gorgeous, what do you do for a living?”

Jeno should have seen it coming, yet every time he got so flustered over mere cringy words strung together. They reached its purpose every time again too. This time he wanted to laugh, the absurdity of the pickup line amusing him, though a few things held him back.

One being the fact that he was on the job. Jeno was afraid he would come off as unprofessional if he engaged in playful banter and indulged the boy like that. And he had other customers to serve too.  
The other reason was simply one not so simple, at least not to Jeno. He didn’t easily talk to strangers or make new friends. Often overthinking too much and over-analysing every situation did that to you. And so Jeno became shy, insecurities piling up, preventing him from being a ‘social butterfly’.

Jeno was brought back to the present by Jaemin, who once again leaned over the counter with his elbows placed next to the cash register, supporting his chin. The cafe had been calm this morning, so Jeno let himself be absorbed in Jaemin’s handsome features. Jeno was shy, but he wasn’t blind and someone coming back every day for a week already, showering him with compliments was something he slowly got used to with a hidden glee.

He realised he was staring though, and the ringing above the door announcing another customer’s presence snapped him back to work. So Jeno slid the coffee over to Jaemin as he silently -and regretfully- turned back around and smiled at the lady asking for a latte.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jeno secretly kept looking, his attention automatically drawn to the boy now slowly walking back to the table he frequently occupied with his friends. One of them facepalmed and let out a sigh. Another bit his hand and shook while holding in his giggles and the third, latched onto the latter, simply shook his head. They seemed like a close group of friends, and once more, Jeno wished he wasn’t so complicated of a person.

—

Another day, another pickup line it seemed. Around two hours into his shift, Jeno was met again with the same brown eyes he’d been seeing every morning. This time though, the cute boy’s fingers (his name was Jaemin, judging from the recurring scribbles on the cup) brushed Jeno’s when he took the drink (americano, with 4 extra shots of espresso, Jeno shuddered at the thought) from him. Soft tingles shot from his fingertips up to his wrist. But before he could dwell on it too much, Jaemin had moved his hand away, coffee clearly sloshing around inside.

“Ah, I’ve been touched by an angel, I’m never washing this hand again. Oh god, I need to tell my friends,” Jaemin uttered.

Once again, Jeno’s cheeks heated up and he couldn’t believe the handsome Jaemin was serious about coming back to the cafe and using one pickup line after the other every single time.  
' _What does he see in me?'_ Jeno wondered. Still, he was flattered by the compliments.

Jeno met the other’s eyes again, and while on the outside he could only muster up a small smile, he desperately hoped his eyes conveyed the right feeling.

_‘Hi again, thank you for always coming by and giving me compliments, even though they are expressed through cheesy sentences. I kinda really don’t have the guts to actually talk to you, for which I’m sorry. I really do appreciate you. I kinda like you…, maybe.’_

Jaemin only smirked, but halfway through Jeno noticed his smirk turning into something else, before he had to redirect his attention onto the next customer.

Feeling like he just won a marathon, Jaemin turned around and sashayed back to his friends at one of the tables near the back of the shop. Judging by the expression on his face, they didn’t waste any time interrogating him, thinking that finally Jaemin would have made another move.

“And?? Did you get his number? What’s his name?” Donghyuck asked.

Jaemin softly let himself sink down on the empty chair and let out a distracted sigh. Mark and Donghyuck leaned forward when they noticed he was about to share what went down at the counter, while Renjun just arched his eyebrow at him.

“His name is Jeno, it’s on his tag. He finally looked me in the eyes for longer than 2 seconds. I swear there was an underlying message,” Jaemin stated with heart eyes. The boys groaned in response and turned away, going back to their conversation from before.

“His eyes spoke to me," Jaemin told no one in particular, but he didn’t mind receiving no answer, as his head was already up in the clouds.

—

“You know,” Ten started a few days later after Jaemin had already left, “if you don’t like him bothering you like that, you could tell him. Or I could if you want me to. You know I can be scary when I want to, Jeno-ya.”

Jeno smiled, eyes crinkling into half moons. “I know, hyung, and I appreciate you looking out for me.”

“But…?”

“I’m actually not that bothered about it to be honest.” _‘-a little more than not bothered actually…’_

“You’re not?” Ten’s gaze was focused on the coffee machine he was currently cleaning, his brows slumped into a frown. Then his eyes suddenly snapped back to Jeno, wide in realisation. Jeno regretted his choice of words right after seeing the look on Ten’s face.

“Oh please hyung, no-”

“You like it, don’t you?” Ten started in a singing tone.

“You like him. You like the fact that he comes in every morning, without hesitation, and clings onto your attention like a magnet. Do you think he’s cute?”

Ten gasped, “You do, don’t you? Oh, wait until I tell your brother! He’s gonna want to know everything about it.” Ten’s rambling almost made Jeno dizzy, but at the mention of his brother, Jeno’s mind cleared up.

“Please, hyung, don’t tell Doyoung hyung. He’s never gonna leave me in peace. It’s nothing, really, Jaemin’s just a nice guy who buys coffee every morning. I mean, it’s not like he really means what he’s been saying, right?”

‘ _Oops, that last part wasn’t meant to be shared.’_ Jeno grimaced. Damn him and his insecurities.

If Ten said he could be scary when he wanted, that was a downright understatement. His eyes got a devilish gleam and Jeno suppressed a shiver rolling down his spine.

“Jaemin huh? Jeno-ya, do you perhaps have a little crush?” His saccharin-sweet tone made Jeno want to run out the door, the slow pace of his words making Jeno break out a sweat, but Jeno stayed rooted in his spot. He wasn’t brave, and he definitely didn’t entertain the idea of going against his manager hyung, because he knew Ten too well for that.

“Don’t worry, Jeno, I won’t meddle in your business.” Jeno wondered if he could get a whiplash from the sudden 180 degrees turn in conversation. “-but take my advice. The boy likes you. Even if his ways of showing you are a bit, well, ridiculous, for lack of a better word. I can see it in his eyes, though. Now, it’s your decision to do something about it or watch him disappear one day, having had enough of your radio silence and non-existent social skills.”

Ten gave him a shoulder pat and retreated into the backroom. Jeno mauled over his words. Maybe he had a point, maybe Jeno should give Jaemin some kind of response. He did want to get to know the other. But Jeno wasn’t brave, and any courage in his veins fled his system the next moment he saw those familiar brown eyes staring into his soul.

—

So the flirting -or being nice according to Jeno- continued and on one Monday morning, an amusing situation occurred. Ten had taken to always casually being around, but not too close, when Jaemin made his appearance. However, this particular morning, his choice of pick up line was one that made Jeno want the ground to swallow him up completely.

“Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see.”  
You see, Jeno would have just found it amusing and would have been likely to tell his manager about it later, after Jaemin left. He didn’t find it quite so amusing as just when the handsome boy uttered the words, Ten happened to have been right there behind him, loudly snorting as reaction. His manager immediately moved into Jeno’s space, making a show of his movements while preparing another customer’s drink.

‘ _No, he’ll be so embarrassed if he finds out Ten hyung is actually called Ten… oh God.’_

Jeno awkwardly tried making eye contact with Ten, silently telling him to remove himself from the entire situation. Ten’s intentions were very clear, so Jeno ended up bumping into him and swiftly taking over the order while calling loudly: “Jaemin-ssi, your coffee is ready.” His attempt at distracting the other appeared to be easy as Jaemin hung onto each word Jeno spoke, his eyes wide.

‘ _Oof, crisis averted. For now…’_

—

“Nana, you’re being ridiculous right now, are you seriously going to keep using these pick up lines instead of just talking to him?”  
Donghyuck had cornered Jaemin right after he exited the café, his iced coffee cool in his hands.

“Of course, what’s wrong with that? What else should I be saying, I mean I make it pretty obvious that I’m into him.” Jaemin made a move to the left to sidestep Donghyuck and started making his way to class. Donghyuck was quick to follow and matched his steps with Jaemin.

“What about actually introducing yourself? I don’t know, say your name or ask for his number.”

“He already knows my name though,” Jaemin pouted, seemingly pondering about the situation. “He writes it on the cup every time… doesn’t that count?”

“Jaemin dear, he does that with every customer that passes by, at the moment, you’re just one out of so many.”

Jaemin’s frown deepened and he let out a forlorn sigh. “Oh, but he’s MY angel.”

They arrived at their lecture hall and just before they entered, Donghyuck quickly replied.  
“Then do something about it, Nana! Catch that angel while he’s still falling.”

—

The Wednesday that followed, Jaemin had just returned from the local shelter where he volunteered, having spent some time with one of the newly brought in cats, when he met up with his friends in the park.

“There he is! Cutie-barista Jeno’s biggest admirer.” Donghyuck grinned. He knew for a fact that Jaemin had still not taken measures into his own hands and actually spoken to Jeno, so he figured Jaemin should endure his teasing.

On their way to the exit, they passed a group of young people handing out flyers for what seemed like the upcoming plant-a-tree day that Saturday.  
Students handed out flyers before, it wasn’t that special actually. What was special however, was the tall, slender guy at the gate, black hair handsomely swept to the side, calling out to someone else, someone Jaemin knew quite well (or at least he wished he did).

“Jeno! Are you ready to go?”  
Jaemin’s footsteps halted as he watched with a newfound interest at how the most beautiful smile appeared on Jeno’s face. The latter walked towards the other male at the gate, flyer ready to present.

“Doyoungie hyung, you’ll come right? This Saturday?” Jaemin relished in how Jeno looked so very relaxed and open right in this moment. He wasn’t like this in the café or whenever he saw him. He looked happy and completely comfortable, not at all guarded. Jaemin wished he could see him like this more, without restraints. He longed to see Jeno more, to get to know him better.

The older male let out a tired, but fond sigh, eyes crinkling at the corners while a small smile made its way onto his face.

“Of course, Jeno, it’s not like I have any papers to write or projects to work on, after all your incessant nagging, how could I not make time for my favourite brother?”

“First of all, I’m your only brother, secondly, you could invite that guy you like… maybe, possibly? What was his name again? Jaehoon? Jaebum?” Jeno sported a teasing smirk and Jaemin decided he definitely looked more than handsome like that.

“It’s Jaehyun, and maybe I will…, and that doesn’t mean you’re not my favourite Jeno-ya,” Doyoung quickly retorted.

“Good, then let me register you!”

Doyoung ruffled Jeno’s hair.  
“Sure, Jen, but let’s do that at home, shall we?

Jaemin kept looking in awe when Jeno turned around and bid his goodbyes to his fellow volunteers. Then, he realised he had to take his shot and make a move if he wished to really see the real Jeno act this carefree around him.

Jaemin moved to the side, taking advantage of the fact that Jeno had yet to notice his presence. Just when Jeno was about to make his way back to his brother, Jaemin appeared right in front of him. Jeno’s steps faltered when he recognised Jaemin and at once Jaemin could see his shyness take over once again.

“Woah, I’ve been blessed by the gods above upon seeing this angel before me.”  
Jaemin turned it up a notch and let his most famous killer smile make its way onto his face. He thought Jeno truly looked like a precious gem.

“Tell me, angel of mine, what brought you here, brightening up my day like this?”  
Jeno turned red under Jaemin’s gaze and melodic words. “Hi Jeno.” Soft words, barely whispered, but still there.

“I- I’m volunteering,” Jeno waved the flyer still in his hand and Jaemin’s attention shifted to the words printed on the paper. A sweet smile bloomed on Jaemin’s lips, “You’re going to plant trees? Can I join you?”

—

To end his rather interesting Saturday, Jeno went out on a walk to the supermarket close to his home. He felt tired, both physically and mentally, but still pushed himself to keep going.

The plant-a-tree day had been a success and more people showed up than expected, motivating them to organise a second edition in the future. Mentally, he felt drained, as his mind had been in overdrive all day since Jaemin showed up and did not disappear from his side. Not that he minded. Jaemin was very good company and surprisingly, Jeno felt at ease with him. Jaemin didn’t seem to mind Jeno’s shyness and had no problem initiating conversation. Jeno liked spending time with him and wished his standard initial shyness with people he didn’t know could just disappear quicker this time.

It was already getting dark out by the time he exited the store. Just a few blocks further, Jeno heard something that made him freeze in his tracks. A small whimper made him turn around and search for its source. Nothing out of the ordinary jumped out when Jeno took in his close surroundings, but then he heard it again.

The weak whimpers and cries repeated and Jeno drew closer to where he felt they came from. He rounded the corner into a small dark alley and stopped in front of a black waste container. By now it couldn’t be any clearer and Jeno, with a thudding heart, lifted his arms and opened the lid of the container.

What Jeno saw at the bottom surrounded by trash broke his heart. A small pup was laying among the dirt, tiny chest going up and down shallowly. It was definitely in pain, judging by its cries. Jeno let out a sound of distress and immediately put his bags down on the floor. Not caring about his clothes getting dirty, he reached into the container leaning almost fully into it.

“Hey buddy, what are you doing there? I’ll get you out, okay?” Jeno cooed, trying to let the pup know he meant no harm, but also letting it know about his presence. His fingers grasped the dark and sticky fur of the small animal and he carefully took a hold of it and lifted it out of the container.

Jeno gasped now that he could see the poor puppy from close by. It was so small and obviously in pain, one of its forepaws twisted in a weird way, probably caused by its fall.  
He took off his hoodie and slowly wrapped it around the pup to keep it warm and safe.

“That’s better, isn’t it?” He continued talking to the small dog, his voice calm and soothing.  
Jeno held the small bundle against his chest as he picked up his groceries and quickly made his way home. He was worried and scared for the pup. It pained him knowing there were people treating innocent animals like this, throwing them away and left on their own to die.

Jeno burst through the front door, discarded the bags with groceries in the kitchen and made a beeline for the bathroom. Doyoung heard the commotion in the kitchen, alarmed at the way his brother slammed the door close. He was just about to reprimand him for not stocking away the food when Jeno zoomed past him.

“Hyung-, Doyoung hyung, I need your help.”  
Doyoung promptly followed Jeno up the stairs, into the bathroom, his brother’s urgent tone telling him this was a serious matter.

“Jeno, what’s wrong?”  
“Hyung-”, Jeno started, slowly bringing his arms in front of him, letting the bundle open up towards Doyoung, and that’s when Doyoung heard the whimpers.

“Hyung, someone must have thrown it away into a trash container. W- we need to take it to the vet, its paw doesn’t really look well.”

Doyoung took one good look at the small pup being hugged by the sweater in his brother’s arms, gave a small nod and put his hand on Jeno’s shoulder.

“Okay, this is what we’ll do, we’ll clean it, try to feed it and give it a place to sleep. We’ll take it to the shelter in the morning, the one close to the park, okay? Do you remember my friend Johnny? He works as a veterinarian there. I’ll give him a call after we clean the poor thing up and know whether it has any severe injuries.”

Jeno let out a relieved sound and nodded in agreement. “Okay, thanks hyung.”

—

The next morning, Jeno entered the animal shelter with the pup in his arms and Doyoung following behind. Suddenly there was a familiar voice, exasperatedly telling a woman that no, she couldn’t just rent a dog for a day and then bring it back like a used good. He sounded on the verge of losing his patience, when another -and also very familiar- worker entered the scene and took over the situation, sending the younger over to Jeno and his brother.

“Huh, what are the odds?” Jeno could hear Doyoung mutter, though he was as surprised as the other as he stared at Jaemin in front of him, outrageously handsome at that. Jaemin was dressed in an old pair of jeans with a white t-shirt and a red open flannel shirt on top, unruly hair almost falling into his eyes.

When Jaemin laid eyes on Jeno, his eyes widened and eyebrows shot up, hint of a smile peeking through. “Jeno-”, he started before his gaze dropped to the bundle in Jeno’s arms letting out a small whimper. Jaemin’s smile fell and immediately, his attention was on the small animal, his arms reaching out to cradle it and place it on top of the table.  
“What happened? Who’s this?”

After Jeno explained how he found the little dog, brought it home and cleaned it as best as he could, Doyoung piped up and mentioned calling Johnny.  
At that, Jaemin’s eyes lit up, “Ah, so this one is being expected. I’ll be right back.” He took the small dog into his arms and disappeared through a door to the side to Johnny’s office in the back of the building to get it checked out.

Meanwhile, Jeno took another look at the other dimpled male, who had just managed to convince the lady to give up her strange request and leave. Just as Jeno was about to speak up and tease his brother, grin already plastered on his face, the other beat him to it.

“Jaehyunie! You’re working today?”

“Every Sunday morning, hyung, just like Jaemin. He’ll be right back though.”  
Oh, OH, so that’s how it is. Jaemin… volunteered every Sunday morning? It was a nice thought to think about, Jeno found. Perceptions shifted once again.

Jeno didn’t get another moment to try and find a way to escape Doyoung flirting with his crush, when Jaemin quite literally saved him by walking through the door once again. He thanked the brothers for bringing the puppy to the shelter, commenting how, unfortunately, this happened more than he’d like to admit. Jeno could see the same anger he felt towards the situation shine through Jaemin’s eyes as he told them about some other animals having recently been thrown away like trash.

Jeno saw another dimension of Jaemin’s character today, his passion for animal lives shining through. He felt his heart beating steady and loud, respect and admiration rising each second he spent longer in his presence. Jeno’s crush was growing and he didn’t know what to do about it. It seemed that with every new thing he learned about Jaemin, his heart felt heavier and his nerves spiked more whenever he saw him.

—

“So, a little birdie told me you had a fun weekend with a certain someone…” Donghyuck approached Jaemin after class the following Monday morning.

“I knew I shouldn’t have told Mark, damn it, and he looked so approachable. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him, you made him into your spy!” Jaemin retorted.

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t…, none of that matters, now spill the beans. Please tell me you finally got over your pick up line addiction.”

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t… I definitely had a fun weekend though.” Jaemin copied his friend’s singing teasing tone to get back at him.

“Na Jaemin, stop teasing and start talking, or I’ll tell Jeno it actually took you three months before you mustered up the courage to enter the café and talk to him. Which, by the way, took you longer, pick up lines don’t count.”

At this Jaemin gasped before glaring at Donghyuck, “You wouldn’t.”

Donghyuck grinned just like the Cheshire cat out of Alice in Wonderland, “I wouldn’t…?”

“Okay, you would, I know you would. You win, okay? My weekend was amazing, if you wondered. I saw Jeno not once, but twice!! I spent hours with him planting seeds, replanting small trees and making sure the world won’t end soon from lack of oxygen. In short, we saved the world on Saturday. And before you ask, yes, I talked to him. He’s studying at our university too, gets along really well with his older brother, who by the way, was there too. He was paying more attention to his crush than us though. Hey, the world is really small, did you know his brother is crushing on Jaehyun hyung? From the shelter? Yeah, I know, my reaction.” Jaemin paused, taking in a deep breath and continued speaking.

“Guess what, he actually came by the shelter on Sunday morning. I thought he was already perfect, but I was wrong. He saved a puppy. A puppy, Donghyuck, had it cradled into his arms too, what I’d do to be in his arms like that. He looked so worried and I wanted to comfort him, but the puppy needed me. It looked so tiny and in pain and I just wanted to kiss it better. Oh, back to Jeno, he likes drawing and his favourite colour is this really specific dark green, which I totally forgot the name of already, but god, am I in love.”

Jaemin fell silent after what seemed like a very Donghyuck-is-stressing-me-out produced monologue and Donghyuck still seemed to catch up to his words minutes later, which did give Jaemin some satisfaction. Served him right for threatening him. It gave Jaemin some room to breathe too, the pace at which he spoke leaving him out of breath.

“Okay, you gave me a whiplash just now. Speak slowly please.” Donghyuck whined. “But this is good! You’re making progress, so you got his number?”

“Uhm, maybe I do, maybe I don’t…,” Jaemin started sheepishly, “But you know what? I definitely will when I see you next time. Bye Donghyuckie, I’m off to get my daily dose of happiness!!”  
And with that, Jaemin bid his friend goodbye and made his way to the cafe where he knew Jeno would be working his morning shift. He didn’t see Donghyuck’s scowl plastered on his face, but maybe that was a good thing.

—

“Are you sure you're not tired? You've been running through my mind all morning.”

Many different scenarios flew through Jeno’s mind, but he knew he had chosen the wrong one the second it was too late. It was all too easy falling back into old habits, what he always did when Jaemin came in with a new chat up line ready every time. So he stayed silent, afraid of unprofessionalism and others paying unwanted attention to him.  
Jeno smiled, nodded, let his eyes wander and let himself revel in the other’s choice of wardrobe today, before diverting his attention to the girl behind Jaemin asking for a strawberry Frappuccino.

Confused, Jaemin’s enthusiasm dimmed a bit from Jeno’s lack of conversation -or even recognition, a simple hello, he had obviously hoped for more-, Jaemin took his americano and slowly moved himself a few meters back.

  
‘ _Is this not the right time?’_ Jaemin thought, _‘Did I just imagine that click between us, am I a fool for believing in this?’_ Though before Jaemin could drown himself in self-doubt, his phone vibrated in his pocket, signalling an incoming text.

**From: Hyuckieaaaaaaaah**  
You can do this Nana!! Go and get his number, you’ve waited long enough now :p

Jaemin chuckled in response and sent a winking emoji back. ‘ _He’s right, I’ve waited long enough…’_ He agreed. He looked back at the immense queue that followed him inside and sighed. Maybe it was better to do this at another moment. He glanced back to Jeno, looking as handsomely concentrated as always and with courage built up inside, Jaemin left the cafe vowing to come back soon and finally get those digits.

—

Two days passed and Jaemin’s phone still lacked a number under the contact of ‘ **My Jeno^^** ’. Embarrassingly, he had already made Jeno’s contact profile in his phone. Regrettably, there wasn’t really a lot Jaemin could fill out, meaning he didn’t know the next thing about Jeno, like his birthday for example, oh how he wanted to change that. He had even dreamt about it, but his fear of being rejected even turned his dreams into more insecurities. It’s no question to how those dreams ended, with a big fat no and what felt like a broken heart (Jaemin was too far gone at this point).

It was afternoon and Jaemin had just finished his last class for the day, stomach grumbling as he walked towards the campus cafeteria where he’d agreed to meet up with Donghyuck and Mark. Renjun had a late evening class, so he wouldn’t be there.

Head swimming with thoughts of all the food he was planning on ordering later, Jaemin started walking faster and then suddenly he wasn’t walking anymore, but flat on his butt on the ground. His backpack had fallen to the ground next to him and he looked up into Jeno’s eyes (Jeno, who, upon strong impact with jaemin’s chest, had fallen to the ground and with more grace than Jaemin himself, Jaemin wasn’t biased at all).

Jaemin laughed, apology ready at the tip of his tongue. Actually, Jaemin was happy, happy to see Jeno like this, outside of his work hours with no apron masking his elegant figure. Jaemin was so happy to see Jeno that he didn’t notice the way Jeno had dived to the ground trying to quickly grab his things together.

“Jenoooo-” Jaemin started with a singing voice, happy to finally have the chance to talk to the other and ask for his number.

“Would you stop??!” Jeno exploded, adjusting his glasses on his nose.

Jaemin immediately shut up and with wide eyes, closed his mouth, startled at Jeno’s risen voice.

“Can’t you see this is really not the moment?? I just can’t deal with this right now, I’m already late. Would you just, just let me be!”

Jeno scrambled up quickly from the ground, arms filled with his books and papers, chest heaving up and down. He let out a distraught sigh, and left with big strides towards one of the lecture halls, still murmuring faint let me be’s.

Shaking, Jaemin let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and tried to focus on what just happened. Many things raced through his mind. 1. He saw Jeno- 2. He was happy to be seeing Jeno- 3. Jeno was clearly not happy to see him “I can’t deal with this” Jeno had said, “I can’t deal with you” Jeno had obviously meant.

  
This was as good as a big fat no and a heart, breaking, tearing at the seams. Jaemin let out another shaky sigh and slowly got up. Looking back into the direction where Jeno disappeared off to, Jaemin kept his lips stiffly pressed together into a line, he felt his chin wobbling though refused to give in to his instincts. He was a sensitive person, yes, the contrary of what many people believed. It took him a long time to build up this strong and thick exterior of a tough person and it only took one weak moment to strip him down. Only one soft spot for someone who Jaemin knew now couldn’t be bothered with him. Stupid, stupid Jaemin.

He had done it again, imagined some love story with a person he liked. He was a bother to Jeno and Jeno had bottled his annoyances up and only now exploded. It was very clear to Jaemin now that he wasn’t welcome at the cafe. What was he thinking really, coming in every morning sharing pick up lines like they were good-morning’s. Jeno must have thought he was crazy and didn’t know what to do with his time.

Embarrassed, Jaemin started walking again, though not in the direction of the cafeteria, hunger having disappeared. He wasn’t walking towards the dorms either, no, he needed distraction right now. Or as much as distraction or wallowing in his sorrows small furry animals could offer. Jaemin made his way to the local shelter close to the park, ignoring the hot tears rolling down his cheeks.

—

Jeno stared at the cup in his hands, deep in thought. It had been three days since Jaemin had last entered the cafe and exactly the same number of days since he had last seen the handsome student.

He sighed, deeply. Guilt had started eating at him from the moment Jeno had got home that fateful day and Doyoung hyung had managed to calm him down. He’d realised he made a mistake when he recalled Jaemin’s forlorn expression after he had so ungracefully snapped at him. He’d asked the heavens why it had to have been Jaemin, the one he had run into.

Jeno closed his eyes and had to stop himself from making the other’s drink anyways, just in case he would still barge through the doors and share one more pick up line with him. Jeno knew he was torturing himself. _‘I deserved it.’_ , he believed. He had been so stressed that day, already running late for his lecture after an annoying classmate hadn’t bothered to turn up for a group project meeting. Above all that, he knew his professor wasn’t going to be nice about Jeno having to ask for a deadline extension. Then, just before he had that unfortunate encounter with Jaemin, some stranger had held onto his arm and kept bothering him about some sale in a department store he had no interest in.

He was positive he had driven Jaemin away for good now. He missed him. He missed his calm but strong presence and the way Jaemin’s eyes would light up when Jeno would actually say something to him. He missed the way he seemed so comfortable with his friends, laughing at their table. He missed how Jaemin enjoyed his coffee and the way he felt the boy glancing back at him, while sipping that bitter monstrosity. Jeno glanced back just as much as Jaemin did, though he was never seen doing so. Not by Jaemin at least, Jeno realised.

“I know you feel guilty about it.”

At once, Jeno’s eyes shot open and he straightened up at the realisation that a new client had entered the establishment. That new client being no one other than Donghyuck, one of Jaemin’s best friends. Jeno remembered him, the group of friends always came together and while Jaemin stayed back, always ordering last, his friends retreated to one of the free tables. Donghyuck had come on dates with his boyfriend, Mark, too, once or twice. But for him to enter the cafe alone, that was a first.

Donghyuck continued at Jeno’s lack of response. “I know you like Jaemin. Call it an extremely well-developed seventh sense if you must. I also know you feel really guilty about what happened a few days ago and don’t think you still stand a chance with him.”

Jeno chuckled bitterly, seeing no point in denying his feelings. “Did I ever even have a chance?” He said quietly. “I don’t deserve his attention, especially after I snapped at him, I didn’t mean to, I swear.” Jeno continued, “I understand if he doesn’t want to come to the cafe anymore, why would he? I mean, why did he talk to me in the first place? Wh-”

“Jeno, let me stop you there, take a deep breath and let me tell you how I found Jaemin that night.” Donghyuck interrupted.

Jeno blinked a few times, not getting where this conversation was going, but he listened to Donghyuck either way.

“Jaemin, Mark and I were supposed to meet up for dinner at the cafeteria when you ran into each other. The last thing he told me was that he was so hungry he was planning on ordering the whole menu.” Donghyuck chuckled.

“But then he didn’t show up, and didn’t answer his phone, so I knew something was wrong.”

Jeno bowed his head in shame, guilt raking up and down his body, almost making him shiver.

“I thought he would maybe be at the dorms, so I went to check, but he wasn’t there. Then I got a text from my cousin, Johnny, he’s the vet at the local shelter. He told me he found Jaemin hugging five puppies all at once while crying big fat tears. By the time I got there, there were three puppies in his lap and only one other on his chest, but he was still crying.”

By now, Jeno had a pained look in his eyes and Donghyuck thought it didn’t suit him at all.

“The reason why I’m telling you this is because you need to realise why he reacted this way. Did you ever wonder why Nana kept coming in here, throwing one pick up line at you after the other?”

Jeno had an uncertain look in his eyes. Almost like he knew the answer, but found himself too insecure to voice it out loud.  
Donghyuck gave him a fond look and nodded, as if making a final decision.

“I’m adopting you, Jaemin will just have to deal with it. I’m not letting you feed on your own insecurities anymore, for your own sake and for ours.”  
Donghyuck took out Jeno’s marker and grabbed the empty cup Jeno had been staring at to write his number down before sliding it over to the young barista.

“You’re part of us now, Jeno. Now, back to the point, Jaemin believes he has only been a bother to you from day one. I’ve known him for a very long time and, yes, he tends to overdo himself when he likes someone, but I’ve never seen him this persistent with someone as with you. Which means,” Donghyuck translated, “He really really likes you. And I mean really likes you, the-l-word-might-almost-be-involved-likes you.”

Jeno took in a sharp breath, eyes growing wide. Now that it was there out in the open, adrenaline started coursing through his system.

“Jaemin hasn’t been coming with us these days, because he feels embarrassed. He believes he made a fool out of himself, trying to talk to you properly though failing every time. Most important of all, he believes you don’t want him here or anywhere near you. Which is why I’m here to fix this tragic love story before it even started.” Donghyuck let out a fond sigh. “Honestly, what would anyone be without me, tsk.”

This time, Jeno let out the breath he was holding. “I need to tell him it’s not true. I need to apologise and tell him that I really want him around.”

“There we have it! Now we’re going somewhere, I knew you could do it,” Donghyuck said, proudly wiping away a fake tear from his eye.

“Where is he now? I need to find him, tell him I actually liked his pick up lines because no one else ever took the effort. I need to tell him I missed seeing him and making his stupid americano.”

Before Donghyuck could answer his question, a noise from behind Jeno grabbed their attention. It was Ten, leaving his hiding place in favour of giving his support.

“Take a break Jeno, the cafe is deserted, I can manage without you here. Go out and find that boy,” Ten said with a twinkle in his eye.

Donghyuck smiled at them before looking at his phone to check the time. “Perfect! Jaemin should be heading towards the dorms now, since his class just ended. But I asked him to wait for me by the corner of the library, in front of the campus garden.” Donghyuck said.

“This is your chance to do something about these insecurities gnawing at you from the inside, Jeno,” he added in a soft tone. Jeno looked taken aback at this statement, surprised at how accurate Donghyuck could read Jeno. It was almost creepy, but Jeno had more urgent things to do at the moment.

Jeno nodded firmly, as if to push himself one last time and started moving. He took a new cup and quickly made a new iced americano (the one Jaemin liked so much with all the extra added shots of espresso, he still shuddered at the thought of drinking something like this). In three minutes, Jeno was stood outside in front of the cafe, umbrella held up high since it had just started pouring rain, with his phone in his pocket and americano in hand.

—

Jaemin had been waiting at the corner of the campus library for Donghyuck for over 20 minutes and was getting more annoyed by the second. Giving up on the thought of his best friend still turning up, Jaemin left his safe and dry waiting spot and started speed walking through the rain. He hadn’t thought of the fact that the weather today could’ve been the same for several days in a row. Ironically, it had been raining ever since the moment Jaemin had left the shelter with Donghyuck dragging him out in the direction of the dorms— “No, Nana, you can’t stay the night, honestly why did my cousin accept you here” —and just this morning, it seemed the rain had stopped, though now looking back, that was naive to think.

Jaemin grumbled as he tightened his arms around his form, hugging himself a little closer to not lose all his body warmth. Rain kept pouring down all around him and now his hoodie was drenched to the point his hair was soaked as well.

Well, until suddenly the loud roaring of the rain quieted a bit turning into a dull sound in the background. Jaemin looked up to see an umbrella being held above his head and he followed the hand holding the umbrella to the arm to the body of… Jeno sharing his umbrella with him?

Eyes wide open, Jaemin took in a sharp breath and couldn’t help the corners of his mouth turning up into the beginnings of a smile. Until he realised he must have looked so pathetic, drenched by the unforgiving downpour, Jeno probably thought he would just save the drowning rat that was Jaemin, Jeno was that good of a person. To help a guy you don’t like in need. A bitter monster started making its nest inside Jaemin’s chest, until—

“Did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?”

Silence followed as Jaemin’s mouth fell open and nothing came out. Slowly, a wide grin fell into its place as he watched Jeno smiling back at him. He quickly pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming and this was actually happening. Nothing changed, Jeno was still there, grinning(!!) back at him. Before Jaemin could say anything, Jeno opened his mouth and interrupted anything Jaemin was thinking about saying.

“Jaemin, I’m sorry.”

Jeno brought his free hand forwards, or was it? Instead of his hand being empty, an iced americano -and just the way Jaemin liked it- stared back at him. Jaemin looked back at Jeno, who seemed like he had several more things to say, so he kept silent and waited.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you that day, I really didn’t mean to. I’m sorry for never being very respondent every time you entered the cafe. I’m sorry I hurt you by making you think you were a bother, and I didn’t want you around. You’re not a bother, you never were. I actually kind of looked forward every morning to see your face and your smile and that twinkle in your eyes and I-”

Jeno fell silent in the middle of his monologue and Jaemin could only stare in disbelief and wonder. Jeno seemed like he was struggling to find the right words.

“Sorry, I-”

“Jeno, stop saying sorry. I kind of got the point…” Jaemin said with a smile blooming on his lips.

Jeno could only stare at Jaemin, thoughts momentarily halted. So Jaemin took the chance to voice his now half butchered insecurities.

“Y-you don’t think I’m a bother?” Jaemin asked, needing to hear confirmation once more to be able to fully smash his insecurities to pieces. “I’m also sorry for not gathering up the courage to properly talk to you.”

“No, you’re not. I was kind of intimidated by you either way, but I..., I must admit I really missed making that horrendous coffee you like so much, seeing you smile after you take the first sip, or, when you joke with your friends and give them those fond gazes. You’re always so nice and I know just from secretly observing you from afar that you’re genuine. You have such a sincere heart and you love loving other people. Then I wondered..., is there space for me?”

At this, Jaemin’s mouth fell open again.

“What I mean to say,” Jeno took in another deep breath and turned around the cup in his hands, where now something else jumped out to Jaemin. A bright yellow post-it was stuck to the side of the cup and on it, blaring, were the words “Will you go out with me?”.

Jaemin let out a laugh, he knew his eyes were crinkling because of the happiness radiated on his face.

“Of course, I’ll go out with you, Jeno, my angel…” Jaemin gave the other such a soft gaze and Jeno giggled (he giggled!) in response. “Take the post-it from the cup.” Jeno added.

Curiously, Jaemin lifted the paper from the cup and right there, in elegant scribbles, was a phone number, Jeno’s phone number to be exact.  
Jaemin laughed again while taking the coffee from Jeno. He took a sip and the brightest smile graced Jeno when he looked up at him again. Forgetting that they were still outside in the rain, Jaemin threw his arms -yes, with the coffee in his hands- around Jeno’s shoulders and fit his body into Jeno’s. He nuzzled his cold nose into Jeno’s neck and let out a content sigh. Meanwhile, Jeno managed to wrap his arms around Jaemin with a smile, while still holding the umbrella upright, shielding them from the drops of rain still falling from the sky.

—

“What about Blackie?” Jaemin suggested.

“No, ew.” Jeno scrunched up his face in disagreement and leaned back into the cushions in the Fluff Corner of the shelter.

“Okay then, you propose some names, I thought Pepsi was nice too.”

“Nana, we’re not naming the pup after a soft drink nor a colour. It’s worth much more,” Jeno complained, then cuddled the puppy in his lap closer to his chest. “Aren’t you, buddy? Yees, of course you are, baby.” Jeno coddled the small ball of fluff.

Jaemin spluttered. “Why do you call him baby and not me? I’m your boyfriend! I should get priority!” Jaemin concluded and ended his sentence in a pout.

“Jaemin, Nana,” Jeno began, “Babe…” Jeno watched Jaemin turn a faint crimson, “I see you almost every day, I can’t visit my baby boy here every day, now can I?” Jeno turned again to the puppy at the end of his sentence.

Jaemin grumbled, but knew he had lost the pitiful argument. The pout on his lips was still present by the time Jeno turned to him again, and without thinking, Jeno kissed the pout right off his mouth. It was just a peck, but Jaemin clearly wanted more, chasing Jeno’s retreating lips to bring them together again with his own. The kiss was soft and loving, everything Jaemin wanted to convey and wanted Jeno to know. Jeno slotted one hand into Jaemin’s hair at his nape and pulled the other closer. They pulled away for air and Jeno pressed one last kiss to Jaemin’s cheek out of endearment, before redirecting his attention back to the pup in his other arm.

“Oh! I know! Let’s name him Rox.” Jeno exclaimed.

“Rox? Hhmm, Rox,” Jaemin tried out the name on his lips. “I like it, it fits him well.”

Jeno grinned in response and pressed a kiss to Rox’s head. “I’m so happy he’s doing well. He was really lucky.”

“Jen, Angel, that’s all because of you. If you hadn’t been there to haul little Rox here out of that trash container, he probably wouldn’t have made it.

“Hhm, you’re right.”

“Aren’t I always?”

“That’s debatable,” Jeno replied while Jaemin spluttered again, “Hey!”- “Oh, remember that time you thought I didn’t like you, while you were my favourite thing to look forward to every morning?”

At this Jaemin stilled and gazed at his boyfriend. “I was?” He asked softly.

“You still need me to tell you every time over and over again?” Jeno said.

“Yeah,” Jaemin replied. “I get reminded every time of that amazing confession of yours and the butterflies inside me keep fluttering.”

“Don’t tell Donghyuck that, or he’ll tease you for it for the next 10 years to come,” Jeno warned him amusedly.

“How did you suddenly become such good friends with Hyuck? Did he just, one day, march up to you and demanded you to put his number into your phone or something?” Jaemin inquired.

Jeno chuckled, “Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. That’s for me to know and you to find out…, if you’re lucky.”

“You mean you won’t tell me? Ever?”

“Let’s find out, shall we?” Jeno offered, interlinking his hand with Jaemin’s, fingers tightly grasped together.

Jaemin gave him a loving smile, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yeah, let’s.”

———


End file.
